Image Courtesy of Pexels
By Diego Higuera
We all know by now that tonic for stress is exercise, nature, calming music and … the Incredible Hulk.
It makes sense that the Comic Book Generation enjoys respite in their fave superheroes. Students and heroes have a few things in common, including stress. Superheroes, in fact, do some of their best work while they are stressed out to the max.
That is good news to the 91 percent of American college students who, according to a Harvard study, feel a great deal of stress at various times throughout a semester. Students who turn red when they feel stress coming on change colors just like the Hulk turns green and Mystique turns blue.
Southwestern College students and alumni reported that comics lower stress because they give good advice, are relatable, create a sense of community and provide comfort. They are fat free, drug free and non-alcoholic, though they may be addictive.
Happy Family Memories
Adonis Osiris is an SDSU alumnus with a degree in anthropology and an affinity for classic comics.
“Comics helped me make friends with literally everyone I know here in California,” they said. “They’ve been pretty instrumental (in my adjustment to a new home). Watching characters go through situations I’ve been through has helped me process the awful things I’ve been put through.”
Like some comic book heroes, Osiris had to overcome homelessness and despair to earn friends and a college degree.
“I got into comics when I was a kid,” they said. “Teen Titans and the Young Justice shows were big in our household. My dad is a big comic book guy and always has been, so me getting into comics was bound to happen. Reading comics with my dad helped me feel closer to him, like he cared about me, my interests and my passions.”
Osiris was 15, he said, when he had a favorite memory of their father, who used to read comics to Osiris as a child. Osiris read some new comic books to their dad. To them, this was a “full circle” moment. Father and child still buy comic books together.
Comforting
Southwestern College alum Albie Ruiz said comics pulled him out of a dark place.
“Comics might have saved my life during my teens,” he said. “I was doing very badly in terms of mental health during my school years, and as corny as it sounds, watching The Amazing Spider-Man brought me so much joy and hope that it gave me strength to keep on living.”
Ruiz said comics provided escape from problems as well as a more positive way to look at the world.
“Balancing school, work and life was a constant struggle of fluctuating emotions,” he said. “A character I related to was Spider-Man. He always does the right thing no matter what. He perseveres despite his struggles. I could relate to that.”
Community
Ermel Espenida, a UCSD cognitive behavioral neuroscience graduate, got his collection started early when their elementary school teacher gave him vintage 1960s issues 1-20 of “The Amazing Spider-Man.”
“Comics gave me something to look forward to every week as well as something to talk to my friends about,” he said. “Having comics during my senior year of college, which was also the first year of the pandemic, helped me to fill time away from school.”
Immersion in the world of comics was Espenida’s release during college and a challenging job search during the pandemic.
“Comics became a source of comfort and helped maintain my mental well-being during the stressful times of academic pressure and the looming threat of COVID,” he said.
Espenida said Superman was a character he could relate to because The Man of Steel always wanted to do the right thing. Superman influenced his decision to become a neuroscientist, he said.
In “Superman For All Seasons” by Jeph Loeb, there’s a scene in the first issue where Clark (Superman) saves someone from a tornado that blows through Smallville, then returns to his parents’ to make sure they are okay.
“I could have done more,” he said to his father.
Espenida decided to do more.
Batman, members of the Justice Society of America, Laila Starr and Spider-Man would have all probably struggled as college students for one reason or another. They would also have made it through because they are persistent, purposeful, idealistic and smart. They conquered stress and did impressive things, just like Adonis Osiris, Albie Ruiz, and Ermel Espenida.
Heroes come in many forms.
